Background Research consistently demonstrates that physical activity declines with age. However, such declines do not occur linearly. The transition into early adulthood is one period in which disproportionate declines in physical activity have been evident, but much of our understanding of such declines among young adults has been based on either cross-sectional data or prospective studies that focus exclusively on college/university students. Purpose The purpose of the current study was to use multilevel modeling to discern patterns of physical activity based on gender and educational trajectory among a nationally representative cohort of Canadian adolescents (N=640; ages at baseline, 12–15 years). Examinations of smoking and binge drinking also were conducted as a basis for comparison. Methods Drawn from seven cycles of the National Population Health Survey (NPHS), participants were interviewed every 2 years from 1994–1995 to 2006–2007; data analysis was conducted in 2010. Results Overall, there was a 24% decrease in physical activity (equivalent to 1 MET/day) across the 12-year period. A significant three-way time X gender X educational trajectory interaction (coefficient= −0.189, SE=0 .09, p 0.05) emerged in the physical activity analysis; main effects in time 2 (coefficient= −0.114, SE=0.01, p 0.01) and time 3 (coefficient=0.028, SE=0.01, p Conclusions Physical activity decline was evident during young adults' transition into early adulthood, with declines being steepest among men who entered a college/university. Although there were increases in several health-risk behaviors during adolescence, individuals tend to grow out of binge drinking and smoking as they mature.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to apply Ajzen's theory of planned behavior (TPB) and a measure of past physical activity behavior to predict first-year students' physical activity intentions and behavior. Participants and Methods: First-year university students (N = 212) completed measures of TPB variables and past physical activity at the start of the 2006 fall semester and a measure of physical activity 8 weeks later. Results: The TPB variables explained 37% of the variance in intent...more

Background: Nondaily smoking and heavy alcohol use are prevalent behaviors among young adults, with nondaily smoking occurring primarily in the context of alcohol use. Although the relationship between drinking and daily smoking has been well characterized in young adults, few epidemiological investigations have investigated the association between nondaily smoking and drinking behavior. Methods: We examined Wave 1 of the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions (NESARC; G...more

Aims Little is known about smoking during the transition to college. The current study examined trajectories of smoking among college freshmen, how trajectories predicted later smoking and the social context of smoking. Design Weekly assessments of daily smoking were collected via the web during the first year of college for a large cohort with a previous history of smoking. Participants and setting A total of 193 college freshmen from a large public university with a previous history of smoking...more

The "O" word on campus is not Oprah or online; it is obesity. During the past few years, administrators and faculty members have been discussing obesity as they see greater numbers of overweight students. News media accounts about rising rates of obesity provide an impersonal perspective of the problem, but observing obesity face-to-face in our classrooms and across our campuses makes it real. Increasing numbers of "super-sized" students are right in front of our eyes. They should not be ignored...more

Background: We investigated the population trajectory of leisure time physical activity (LTPA) in adults age 18 to 60 y (n = 881), who were recruited in 1981 for the Canada Fitness Survey and followed-up through the Campbell’s Survey on Well-Being (1988) and the Physical Activity Longitudinal Study (2002/04). Methods: Data on involvement in LTPA were collected by questionnaire and used to estimate average daily energy expenditure (EE) (kcal · kg-1 · d-1) during leisure time. Growth trajectory mo...more

Background: We examine how age, life course roles, and contextual variables relate to both the composition and the overall level of physical activity in late adolescence and early adulthood. Methods: Data on respondents age 15 to 29 y in the 2003 American Time Use Survey are used to estimate multivariate logistic regressions that assess what factors are associated with meeting the recommended level of physical activity. Results: The proportion of respondents who do 30 min or more of team sports ...more

Background The aim of this study was to examine the clustering of four major lifestyle risk factors (smoking, heavy drinking, lack of fruit and vegetables consumption, and lack of physical activity), and to examine the variation across different socio-demographic groups in the English adult population. Methods The study population was derived from the 2003 Health Survey for England (n = 11,492). Clustering was examined by comparing the observed and expected prevalence of the different possible c...more

Aim: This paper aims to describe alcohol, tobacco and type A polydrug consumption among university students. Method: A cross-sectional study was performed. Through a convenience sampling, a total of 338 were included (51.8% male with a mean age of 20.6 years, SD = 3.4). Data was collected using a self-reported questionnaire. The questionnaire was composed by sociodemographic and substance consumption and behaviours variables. Spearman's correlation coefficients were assessed to measure the stren...more

Objective: To assess preferred sources of information for seeking physical activity (PA), and how PA information seeking may contribute to participation in a campus PA program. Participants: Students attending a large, Western Canadian university between April 2015 and April 2018. Methods: Secondary analysis of an annual campus-wide survey. Results: Students sought PA information for general health. Females sought information about weight loss for appearances; males sought information for muscle...more

Against the background of an ageing population, the target group of young adults holds strong societal relevance as the future workforce. At the same time, young adults find themselves in a critical phase of life regarding the manifestation of a healthy lifestyle. In this context, young adults' health literacy gains importance. Web-based interventions implemented in educational settings offer the potential for promoting health literacy, although longitudinal studies remain scarce. Within a pre-p...more

BACKGROUND: The overarching objective of the study is to obtain a comprehensive understanding of the salient factors predicting changes in physical activity (PA) during adolescents' transition into emerging adulthood. Using the Multi-Process Action Control model as our guiding framework, we will examine how implicit and explicit psychological processes along with regulatory practices impact PA change during this major life transition. Additionally, we will use a real-time data capture method cal...more

Young adulthood is associated with the highest rate of weight gain compared with any other adult age group. This review evaluates the effectiveness of interventions with adiposity outcomes among young adults and identifies which behaviour change techniques (BCTs) are most effective. BCT utilization was assessed using Michie's 93-item BCT Taxonomy v1. Six electronic databases were searched for randomized controlled trials assessing change in adiposity in young adults (17-35 years) until December ...more

Adolescence and emerging adulthood represent critical life stages for the onset of internalizing problems and declines in physical activity. To date, however, no systematic reviews have examined the relationship between physical activity and internalizing symptoms during the transition into emerging adulthood. The purpose of this study was to conduct a systematic review of prospective/longitudinal studies investigating the associations between physical activity and depressive symptoms, symptoms ...more